Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-01
COPPER.

At least one OF the Lake Superior jour
mails sees the folly of the Calumet 4
Hecla Company in it's senseless fight agains
the smaller companies engaged in the sam
industry. We refer to the Calumet ant
Red Jacket News, published at Calumet
Michigan. Under the caption which heads
this article, that paper d~eprecates the sui
cidal policy OF the Calumet & Hecla
and urges more conservative action on its
part.
Speaking Of the late sale by the Calume,
4 Hecla of 20, Zoo. 900 pounds of copper
ut 10 cents, to be delivered between June
and September OF this year, the News
says:
'When one comes to consider that in
reality abe price OF copper for the world
can be fixed by the three Spanish compa.
MES. the Calumet & Hecla, and the Ana.
conda, it would look as if the board OF di.
rectors OF these five mines would adopt
some system more conservative, at any
rate to their own interest, Than that now
in vogue.
"Statistics show that the smaller com
panies of the world have been dropping
out one after another in the last two
years; in other words, the price has been
low enough to check production from there,
and at the same time low enough to stimu-
late consumption, and yet either, for van
ity's sake or a misconception OF the power
OF the others, three of the above mines
keep on increasing, and threatening to in
crease, their returns until the consumers
-A3fy ceeHRspeff J @paAt ,tbh1ipkks n68 ft the f"h ~pkkanHssss.
they are crazy.
1.-THE battle is evidently to be between
the giants, although the smaller mines will,
even il they should survive the battle, suf.
fer acutely during it's continuance. No
doubt the actors in this battle of the sur
vival OF the fittest have not decided upon
their mode OF warfare without very mature
consideration; but nevertheless, to a fellow
up q tree it would look AS if the policy
which has been adopted in the past, and
which from all appearances is to continue,
were to some extent suicidal"
The News is not the only journal which
thinks the policy which has been adopted
in the past and which bids fair to con-
tinue is suicidal. But who inaugu1ated the
policy? The News answer the question in
another article, in which it says:
MANY people are criticizing the Calumet
Il Hecla Company for their actionin regard
to the way they sell their copper. These
people appear to forget that the Calumet
Il Hecla Company for years did all they
could to protect the home market by
means OF a pool as to foreign sales until
Mr.. President Mason, of the Quincy,
stepped in and broke the compact, think
ing, no doubt, that all was fair in love and
war. II he, in common with the other
Lake companies, now finds that his course I
acted as a boomerang, it is not fair to I
ali M khA %AA g.
their idea OF conducting a battle, the re-
suit OF which is to be the survival of the
fttest."
Here the whole snap is given AVA After
the pool had been broken by Mr.. President
Mason, of the Quincy, and his action had
proved a boomerang to his own and other
Lake companies, the Calumet & Hecla
started and continues a battle, "the result
OF which is to be the survival of the fttest,'
Already several of the smaller Lake com.
panies have closed down and others are in
a fair way to follow them, which facts
proves they are not among the 'fttest.'
Butte copper companies, however, keep
right along working their smelters to their
fullest capacity and paying no attention to
the antics OF the great Lake Company. The
is evidently aware OF this, and feeling
that the Butte companies have
rank among the "fttest," adds:
"Ifit be true that five companies, or we
may say five men, seeing that every COM
pany has generally it's leading spirit, have
The power OF fixing the price OF copper for
the world, it would seem that if a confer.
were held between these leading pro-
ULCERS, some policy less apparently suici-
ial than the present might be adopted. and
hat only by bringing production down
closer to it's actual consumption"
This Isl fair conclusion and a sensible
'uggestion. While The MINER speaks for
40 copper company it would venture the
that when the Calumet & Hecla
hall make q proposition having for it's
object the adoption Of a policy concerning
he disposition Of copper 'less apparently
than thu present" it will doubtless
Ind Butte copper men inclined to listen to